Processed Foods and Obesity - My Bariatric Life

Whether your weight loss surgery is pending or has already been addressed, the time for reinvestment is immediate. Whereas you are either planning gastric bypass surgery or are currently enjoying the benefits of bariatric surgery, the procedure itself is a dramatic approach for protecting good health. Not following up with additional protections betrays the surgery and undermines your own best opportunity.

Prior to my own bariatric surgery, processed food was one of the staples in my daily menu. As I bent with the learning curve that followed my gastric bypass, I became aware of benefits of eating healthy and what need be done to attain those benefits.

Add This Infographic to Your Website or Blog With This Code:

I researched the Internet and learned about the negative effects of processed foods, the cruelty of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and the troubles related to hormone mimkers and endocrine disruptors. I discovered the comparative lack of nutrition in processed foods when compared to whole foods.

I was also motivated to improve my diet due to environmental concerns such as the negative impact associated with transporting foods long distances.

Ultra-processed foods contain ridiculous amounts of refined sugar, saturated fats, trans-fats, and chemicals. They usually lack insoluble fiber, water and important nutrients. Such foods are catalysts for weight gain and malnutrition as well as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The trans-fats found in processed foods also increase LDL or bad cholesterol levels. If you are not put off at least a bit at this point, know that most processed meat contain the animal body parts of eyes, ears, snouts, and esophagi.

Processed Foods and Cancer

A seven year study conducted at the University of Hawaii discovered that people who eat processed meat products had a 67% higher risk of contracting pancreatic cancer than those who ate little or no processed meat products.

In addition, another study found that consuming refined carbohydrates such as sugar, high fructose corn syrup and white flour contribute to a number of forms of cancer.

Yet another study of 1800 women in Mexico found that those women who had a diet with 57% refined carbohydrates were 220% times more likely to contract breast cancer than those who ate a more balanced diet.

The Benefits of Whole Foods

Whole foods are grown in orchards, gardens and greenhouses and are unprocessed and unrefined. They are rich with micronutrient vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and fibers. These foods are found at farmer’s markets and fresh fruit and vegetable stands.

Most meats and fish require physical processing. Those that are minimally processed would be cleaned fish and butchered meat.

Add This Infographic to Your Website or Blog With This Code:

Vegetables and fruits in their raw state are unprocessed as are raw nuts and seeds.

The least processed of grains are whole grains, but they should not be a part of the bariatric diet. Stick to occassional wild rice and quinoa or buckwheat, which are grasses and seeds rather than true grains. Incidentally, the average person worldwide has become fatter and un-healthier since grains' overrated introduction to society.

My Story...You can read about my decision to have weight loss surgery back in 2003 and my journey to maintain a lifetime of obesity disease management since that time. My wish is to help you on your own journey of lifetime obesity disease management with shareposts along the way to help you navigate that journey successfully.